Meanwhile, at the school café.
Mizowaki frowned slightly as he looked at Katsuragi sitting across from him.
Although he knew the other was loosely affiliated with their side, he was still an outsider with a suspicious background.
Due to Nagumo Miyabi's influence, he and Tonokawa had always been wary of Katsuragi and Kaoru.
After months of interaction, he believed he hadn't shown any cracks in his facade.
Had Katsuragi finally reached his limit today?
"Mizowaki-senpai, the reason I asked to meet today is that our first-year class has a special exam coming up," Katsuragi said hesitantly.
"I was wondering if you could help us?"
"A special exam? Sorry, but we second-years are preparing for our own exams right now. It'd be hard to find time," Mizowaki took a sip of his overly sweet coffee (he'd added plenty of sugar).
"Besides, shouldn't you be asking Nagumo-kun about this?"
He didn't outright refuse immediately, but his meaning was clear enough.
"Senpai, do you remember the first-year special exam?"
"I think it was... Paper Shuffle?"
"Yes. Our homeroom teacher said this special exam allows us to ask upperclassmen for help. Creating test questions just among us students is too complicated, so I thought of asking you."
Mizowaki found this somewhat amusing.
Weren't they supposed to be Class A? And yet they needed his help?
"Even if I agreed, my individual strength probably wouldn't be much help to you."
Hearing this, Katsuragi quickly added, "That's fine! I'm not asking you to help with all the questions—just a portion of them."
"A portion?" Mizowaki feigned just the right amount of confusion, already planning to report this to Nagumo later.
Katsuragi seemed troubled, hesitating before speaking.
"Our class situation is... complicated. You probably don't know this senpai, but most of our academically strong students are Sakayanagi's people. I'm barely holding on alone."
Mizowaki recalled the rivalry between Katsuragi and Sakayanagi.
Though separated by a year, he didn't know the specifics of Class 1-A's situation, but he'd occasionally heard rumors.
Moreover, Nagumo Miyabi's apparent favoritism toward Sakayanagi Arisu had always bothered him somewhat.
"You want to produce the exam papers faster than them?" Mizowaki quickly grasped the implication, inwardly surprised.
Had the infighting within Class 1-A already escalated to this point?
"Yes. This way, I can demonstrate greater capability than Sakayanagi-san within our class," Katsuragi said.
"Moreover, I can intentionally leak Sakayanagi's exam papers to make students from other classes believe they're ours."
Mizowaki narrowed his eyes.
Regardless of the first part, deliberately misleading opponents would indeed deal them a blow.
"I see. However, I'll need to consult Nagumo-kun's opinion first."
Katsuragi fell silent.
Just as Kaoru had said, this guy was difficult to handle.
Even after laying out so many openings, Mizowaki still refused to take the bait easily.
In that case, he had no choice but to play his final card.
"Mizowaki-senpai, I heard you're dating a third-year senpai."
In an instant, Mizowaki expression stiffened.
He fixed Katsuragi with a cold stare.
"What are you implying?"
"Even as a Class A student, dating a senpai requires funds, doesn't it?" Katsuragi met his gaze.
"Especially since she's about to graduate. With your own promotion to Class A still uncertain, the only support you can offer is material, right?"
Mizowaki replied flatly, "I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of my girlfriend just fine."
"I've heard the school converts students' remaining Personal Points into cash upon graduation." Katsuragi paused.
"Haven't you considered helping your girlfriend with that?"
Now it was Mizowaki turn to fall silent.
He hadn't known about this before, but after Nagumo's incident, he realized he needed to save up some Personal Points.
Otherwise, his girlfriend might not even have enough money to rent an apartment in Tokyo.
Having stayed close to Nagumo Miyabi, Mizowaki understood better than most students the consequences of failure at this school.
Why did ANHS boast a 100% advancement and employment rate to the public?
Because those who failed weren't counted.
Moreover, due to the school's official stance, graduates from non-Class A would have "failed to meet standards" marked on their academic records.
This meant that most major corporations or higher education institutions would not prioritize them.
Mizowaki's girlfriend was a student in Class 3-B, and unless a miracle happened, it would be nearly impossible for her class to surpass Horikita Manabu's Class 3-A.
Under these circumstances, Mizowaki had been constantly worried about his girlfriend's future.
He had even hesitated between seeking employment or further education, considering whether to start earning money early to support her.
"Mizowaki-senpai, our offer here is 500,000 Personal Points." Katsuragi held up five fingers.
"On the condition that you don't tell anyone—including Nagumo-senpai."
Mizowaki took a deep breath and asked, "Why?"
"Because absolute secrecy is required. I don't want a third person knowing about this exam paper." Katsuragi's reasoning was sound, leaving Mizowaki with no room to argue.
"Also, senpai, you're worried about Nagumo-senpai, aren't you?" Katsuragi added.
"I'm also concerned about whether he might misunderstand something, which is why I specifically chose to meet at a café. If it were just the two of us meeting privately, even if there were no misunderstandings, rumors could still spread."
Katsuragi was well aware that Mizowaki and his group had never trusted him, so he decided to lay his cards on the table.
After hesitating for a moment, Mizowaki replied somewhat awkwardly, "500,000 is too low."
"For senpai's sake, how about 650,000?" Katsuragi countered.
"That's already a high price. All I need from you is help preparing 80 questions."
"If it's just helping to draft the exam, then I can agree." Mizowaki was tempted, but he also kept his guard up.
Even if he didn't leak the questions, he was still the one creating them!
That alone gave him an advantage—perhaps even enough to help Class 1-C against Class 1-A.
If Nagumo Miyabi ever found out, Mizowaki already had an excuse ready.
So he agreed without hesitation.
And if Nagumo never noticed? Then he'd just treat it as a side job.
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